Chris Pirillo floated the idea of a new TechTV a while ago, and Leo Laporte picked up on it as well shortly thereafter, and we covered it here, but it looks like Chris is making progress on the idea, and more media outlets are picking up the story as it gathers steam.

but the story doesn’t end there. Chris explains in his post why UndoTV is a good name for such a new project (and I agree, it’s an excellent name) and why the time is now and what a new venture like this could bring to the table. He writes:

When I seeded the idea about letting the community help us centralize, the response was overwhelming – both from TechTV alumni and our ever-present supporters. I’m here to tell you now: it’s going to happen. I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but… that’s what makes it worth doing! The most difficult hurdle has already been overcome, in my opinion: we have an audience that is NOT being served effectively.

ZDTV/TechTV brought us all together, but that brand belongs to somebody else – to a completely different time and management style. It’s not the name that’s most important – it’s what we do with that name which will prove our validity and worth. The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts!

Leo agrees, and believes that the opportunity is there and the market that hungered for TechTV still exists and is waiting for the triumphant return of easily accessible technology media content. Wired News picked up the story, and it’s right here:

“TechTV burnt through almost $100 million a year trying to launch a cable channel,” Laporte wrote in an e-mail in reply to a query. “With costs like that there’s no way they could make a channel that appealed to the million or so people who really wanted it. They couldn’t survive as a niche channel, they had to make it broader, and in the attempt, killed it.

“That audience is still there, just as hungry as ever. And with production costs shrinking, cheap internet distribution, and widespread broadband, it’s possible to feed that audience for next to nothing. This is what the digital revolution is all about.”

Hear Hear.

As for the rest of us, we can sit back and wait and enjoy the ride, and help where we can. I think we’re all excited about the possibility of a rebirth of TechTV, or at least something very very similar, and with the opportunity to make it happen right there in front of us, a community willing to make it happen, and a willing audience waiting to support it, I think it’s just a matter of time.

Posted by Alan Henry
on Thursday, August 17th, 2006 at 6:10 am.

One Response to “Will Undo.tv Become the New TechTV?”

I am a elderly lady who enjoyed Tech Tv from its first days on dish newtword until its final demise by comcast purchase. Good luck on getting anyththing going you can hopefully enven on the net.